


Blood, Guts, and Seasalt Pops

by WindyWordz



Category: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Anxiety, Blood, F/F, F/M, Final Fantasy - Freeform, Gore, Insanity, M/M, Multi, Other, PTSD, Trauma, Violence, Vore, excesive violence, kingdom hearts - Freeform, tokyo ghoul - Freeform, unhinged mental state
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-02
Updated: 2016-06-02
Packaged: 2018-07-11 18:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7066075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindyWordz/pseuds/WindyWordz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora and Riku are two high school kids trying to live out their lives inside the twentieth ward, nearly ten years after the war between Aogiri Tree and the CCG cleared up. Ghouls have slid back into hiding, though with still a little more acceptance from other humans, thanks to the artificial "eyepatch" ghoul, Kaneki Ken. News of attacks and newly made orphans dwindle to record low numbers, and life seems peaceful. </p><p>That is, until Sora's father sells him to the CCG to get himself out of bankruptcy. His peaceful life is taken from him and thrown into a hurricane of pain and anguish. And when he washes ashore, he can see the world through a new set of eyes. The eyes of an artificial ghoul.</p><p>And damn, is he hungry.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A basic world setting before getting into the really gruesome stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic does have trigger warnings for a reason, and while the prologue is pretty tame, it really goes all down-hill from here. 
> 
> I am so sorry.
> 
> Hahaa no I'm not.

It had been a long day. One Sora could honestly say, he was glad that was over. Hearing the last ring of the school bell, he was quick to get up and gather his things, shoving them haphazardly. Narrowing dodging his fellow classmates on his quick escape from math class, Sora quickly trotted down the halls to meet his closest friend. At the sight of familiar silver hair, a wide grin stretched across tanned cheeks before the brunet snuck up behind him, arms wrapping around his middle in a tight hug.

"Ha! I've got you now, Riku!" He teased, before laughing as he let go. "Sorry I was late. I kinda spaced out at the end of math class and didn't hear the bell until the last second," he admitted shamelessly, his grin never faltering. "Ready to walk home? I can't wait to see the movie tonight! Too bad I have to make dinner first though," he pursed his lips. "Hopefully my dad will still let me go. I think my new grade in history might win him over. Aaall thanks to your tutoring, ooh wise one!"

When he heard his friend's voice, Riku paused in his trek and let the other catch up to him, giving him a rather small smile of greeting that disappeared quickly. "As ready as I'll ever be." He replied flatly before making a slightly surprised face and using his free hand to measure the top of Sora's head pertaining to his own body. "Hey, what's this? Did you get taller?" He straightened up, putting his hand on his hip with a sly grin, "Oh, no, my mistake, just a trick of the light. You're still as short as ever."

The school year was always long and torturous for its millions of students, held captive in prison-llke buildings and cell-like desks. Or rather, that's what they all groaned about it being. None of them truly understood just how lucky they were to be able to go to school and receive educations, to live normal lives with healthy families and delicious home-cooked meals. It was all they'd ever known, so how could they expect any different?

However, with the school year nearing its finale and temperatures rising to meet the beginning of summer vacation, many rejoiced in the shedding of their metaphorical shackles to embrace their three months of temporary freedom. Even a silver-haired teen who walked through the crowded halls, black uniform jacket slung over his shoulder, since it was too hot to wear the damn thing, along with his school bag.

He always got a lot of weird looks for his hair, especially when he'd first started going to school at Island High. Not that he'd ever cared, he just passed off the excuse that he had a rare disease that stripped all of the pigment from his hair, leaving it white. It wasn't too terribly long, hanging around shoulder length, but his bangs stretched just far enough down to shadow turquoise eyes from the blinding sun filtering in through the hall windows.

He reached his destination rather quickly; the freshman floor where the first years were taught. His target was his best and only friend, Sora. A spirited and friendly young boy with wild brown hair that stuck up at all ends and oceanic blue eyes that held more kindness and loyalty than Riku could ever hope to muster up. Especially with the way he was. A stoic and prowling hunter, taller than most kids his age, who never smiled or laughed at anyone's attempts to humor him through sick pranks.

Well, except for Sora.

The small smile that fleeted across the older boy's face was enough to spark a larger one on his own, a bounce in his step as Riku slowed down for him. "Good!" He chirped, before pausing at the odd expression gracing his friend's face. His curious bright eyes glanced up at the hand hovering above his spikey hair. An awed look crossed Sora's face before it quickly settled into a deep pout, hand pushed playfully at him. "Hey! Watch it before I walk myself home!" He huffed in warning, though obviously joking.

"Aw, but then who will you jabber on to about your day?" He said jokingly, giving the other a quick hair ruffle as he started walking. His step was slow enough that the other could easily keep up with his smaller legs. Though he did have to admit, Sora was pretty quick.

"Hey, don't do that! You're gonna flatten out my hair," the boy grumbled in distaste, pout lingering as his own hand came to detangle whatever mess his friend could have caused. Luckily enough, his hair bounced back into place. So, he settled back down, smile returning. "Soo, how was school today?" He chimed, quick to make conversation. "Classes were boring today. But I did get to watch some fish movie in Biology."

Sora seemed to completely change as they stepped outside. He gave a soft sigh as the warmth of the sun washed over them, drying away the cold breeze of their air-conditioned school. It felt wonderful to be outside, to be free of that boring class! Walking beside Riku, Sora finally took in their difference in height. Sora was smaller than him, both in height in physical build. He was quick if anything, but Riku was larger, stronger. He looked like he could take on any punk, if his cold stare wasn't enough to freeze a person in their step.

To Sora, Riku was nothing like that. He was quiet, yes, but he was kind. He was nice to him, the only person who seemed willing to truly know Sora. He told the silver haired boy everything. A gentle smile crawled onto his lips at the thought, arms folded behind his head as he walked lazily beside Riku.

The heat made Riku slouch, brow furrowed deeply as the light chased out the shadows under his bangs and attacked his eyes. He huffed, free hand coming to shade his face as they stepped outside. Christ, could it get any brighter out here? His stomach clawed at him silently, since he'd skipped lunch, but he ignored it, already following Sora as he rambled on, as per usual.

"It was boring. Though our homeroom teacher was absent and we got a hot substitute." He grinned and leaned in to Sora's face with a teasing voice, "Speaking of hotties, have you made your move yet on that girl in your class? The cute dark ginger you always prattle on about." He straightened up and put a finger to his jaw as he thought back. "Kairi, right? Yeah, she's a cutie."

"Huh? Really?" He hummed, gaze drifting off to the signs for the beach, just a train ride away. It was like he could hear it calling his name, telling him to go for a nice swim. But, his thoughts quickly snapped back to Riku, eyes widening in shock of what he said. "Kairi? Well... she _is_ cute, and she's super nice." He paused, before shrugging, cheeks blushing red as he smiled some. "But I dunno. I think we'd probably be better off as friends, you know?"

"Is that right? So is that sunburn on your face or are you just lying to yourself" He said as the wind changed direction, catching him from behind and pulling too much hair into his face. He gave it a flip back into place and his own gentle spikes slid behind him once more. But his grin didn't deteriorate as he lengthened his stride to gain speed against the smaller boy by just a bit. Sora gaped up at his friend, cheeks burning brighter as he tried to sputter out some retort. All he could manage were stumbled attempts, before he picked up the pace to throw him off.

"Dangit, I thought that woulda fooled you," he laughed, nudging his arm against Riku's side.

"Guess that just means I've got a better chance at her then, if you won't get her!" He added over his shoulder, breaking into a job before the other could attack him as he often did when he jousted about Sora's crushes.

"No way!" He grinned as the other jogged off, gripping his bag tighter to his side as he took off after him. "Wait up you jerk!" He grinned, "I'll get you, Riku!" He called out. "I know where you live! And all that!" Coming to the fork in their path, he paused to through the silver haired boy one last grin.

The silver-haired boy gave a healthy laugh, eyes crinkling shut as he jogged, "Yeah, you always say that, Dork-a! Why don't you follow through for once." It was their usual banter after class as they walked home, until they reached the fork in the road where they were supposed to part ways.

"Guess this is bye for now. See you in a couple hours? I'll meet you at your house!" He chirped.

Something about this time was different as the other pulled away from his side, beginning to drift down the path that would lead to his house, where his father would be waiting. It was eerie, like a cold chill that moved slowly across his spine, setting every little hair standing on end. Something he considered a very bad omen that was always followed by a horrific event. But his friend seemed as cheerful and oblivious as always, smiling that huge, open-mouthed smile that made his eyes crinkle shut. So he replied back as if nothing was wrong.

"Of course, just text me when you leave!" Still, as he watched the other's back as he jogged down the path, he couldn't help but let a worried look tear his smile off his face. But he had other plans, as his stomach carefully reminded him, so he set off down his own road in hopes that for once, he could just be wrong.

He wasn't as oblivious as he looked. Sora could see the strange worried expression that crossed Riku's face, before it was quickly mimicked by his own smile, bright and wide to convince Riku everything was okay. All he had to do was go home, make dinner and pray his father would let him out in time for the movie, if at all. Still...the unusual breeze that ran through his hair nearly made him pause as he turned away. "Bye Riku!" He called out, gripping the straps of his bag as he began to trot home. The faster he got cooking, the sooner he'd get to see Riku! Maybe if he was lucky, he'd start early enough to surprise him.

 

-x-

 

Approaching his front door, the brunet stumbled with the keys in his pocket before he fingered the one belonging to his front door, quickly pushing the key inside before nudging the door open.

"Dad? You home?" He called out, stepping into the house and quickly slipping out of his shoes.

The air in the house was quiet, the lights off and blinds pulled tightly shut to block the sun. Three men surrounded an elderly chap, all of which loomed over the hunched figure of another man. Two were clad in grey suits and held brown, leather briefcases, while the shortest of the three bore a heavy white trench-coat and an equally heavy-looking white briefcases. The man may have been short but he had a terrifying air about him, especially as he grinned when addressing the man sitting on the floor below them. "We really do thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Strife." As he handed the other a small stack of papers to sign,his grin widening even further when they were returned to him, if that was possible. "And I do suppose you'll be wanting your payment, which you will get after we have the child in our custody."

"Yeah... And yer payin in full right?" Sora felt a cold chill travel down his spine at the odd sight, eyes wide as he came to a halt. What was this? What was going on? Taking a shaky breath, he gripped the straps of his backpack tighter. His father turned hazy eyes from the smirking man, to rest on his nervous child. ''Sora, you're home early," he commented dully.

"Dad... W-What's going on? Who are these men?" He asked nervously, knees shaking in a way to convince him to run. Everything in his being told him to, but found himself frozen in place. His father gave him a look, before he hummed low and nodded at his son, flicking a rest in his direction, beckoning him closer. Sora couldn't find it in him to move an inch.

"Sora, don't be rude. Why don't you come introduce yourselves to our guests?"

"Ah! So you must be Sora," The white-coated man cooed, his voice like snake venom as he turned to lay eyes on the trembling boy. He nodded at the two men who nodded back and dropped their cases. They were fast for being in a small space, but they easily pinned down the skinny boy, wrestling his wrists behind his back where they handcuffed him.

"We've been expecting you," the man hissed. He waved a hand in the air as he spoke, gesturing to the man still sitting on the floor. "You're father has kindly signed over custody of you to us. So we'll be taking care of you from now on."

There was no way they could have moved so fast. It was almost inhuman, he thought bitterly as they gripped him tight, pinning his arms behind his back. "W-What?! No-- Let me go!" He exclaimed, trying to wiggle away from the men who held him captive.

When the wolfish man smirked down at him, uttering such words...he felt fear encompass his body. Terrified blue eyes settled on his father in disbelief, soon filling with tears. "D-Dad? You didn't-- Why...why would you?" He didn't know what to say, what to think.

He had been sold? By his own father?

The man couldn't look at him, scowling at the ground as he heard the struggle between his son and the white-coated men. "What're you crying for?" He snapped. "Grow up, Sora." He scoffed. "Maybe this'll be good for you. Teach you how to be a fuckin' man." Sora's insides grew cold at his words, skin erupting into goosebumps.

"D-Dad please-- Don't do this! I-I'm your son! You can't just... sell me!"

"As far as he's concerned, boy, he no longer has a son." The man stamped his foot onto the other's head, knocking the side of his face to the floor and pinning it there. "You see, we offered him a deal he simply couldn't refuse! And now, you're ours." He nodded again to the two men who began to drag the small boy outside to the van parked down the street.

His words burned into the back of Sora's head, before it was snuffed out by the harsh kick of the man above it. A pained gasp left him as he hit the ground hard, vision beginning to fail him. He could do little to stop the men from dragging him away, a weak groan his only response. So...now he knew what he was worth to his old man.

Nothing more than pieces of dyed paper.

"I believe our business is done here, Mr. Strife." He walked over to the two briefcases his men had left behind and placed them quietly next to the slouched man. "This is your payment, in full. Twenty thousand dollars, cash. Each case contains ten thousand." He gave the man a tip of the hat as he straightened up. "Have a good evening," he hissed before walking out the front door and closing it gently with a quiet click, joining his men in the passenger seat in the dark van.

Drunken eyes watched the men as they approached, eyes falling to the cases in their hands. His payment, his reward for giving up the last scrap of blood he had left in the world. But Sora wasn't his. Not anymore. The elder Strife grimaced at the sight of the suitcases, before bringing them close. They were all he had now, all he needed to get out of this rotten city, and maybe put all this ugly business behind him.


	2. White

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sora has his quiet life stolen from him and gets thrown into a place he later equivocates to hell. However, he makes an unlikely friend that becomes his support and salvation from the horrors he's about to go through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that first chapter was kind of short, so I'll try to make this one a little longer. I don't know how frequently I'll be updating, but hopefully there won't be a three and a half year hiatus like in my other work, haha.

White corridors, white ceilings, white cells, white lab rooms, white sheets, white, white, white. Everything was white and pristine and sanitized. The doctors and scientists wore white lab coats and face masks, their rubber gloves that reached up to their elbows over their coat sleeves were white and shiny. But even under the face masks, you could see their crazed grins as they performed extreme and inhumane experiments on their test subjects.

Stripped of name and given a number, each person who was taken into that facility were watched at all hours of the day. They were thrown into white cells, where the only exit was a heavy metal door with a singular window with bars and a cut out on the bottom to slide food through. One such person had been shoved in here so long ago that he didn't even know what year it was. He could barely remember his true name anymore. Lanky legs were half stretched before him, arms crossed over his chest as he sat on the floor against the wall, eyes closed as he sat in silence. Blazing red hair that seemed to flow behind him like flames were the only contrast against the white, as each test subject was forced to wear all white clothes and he was already pale enough as it was.

The moans and cries of other test subjects filtered down the hall, but his end was quiet. The person who had been in the cell across the hall from his had died weeks ago, and the scientists had yet to occupy it with a new test subject. Not that he particularly cared if they did or not, the last one had been rather noise-y anyways.

When he finally came to, Sora realized he was no longer in the dark van, but being dragged out of it. He felt sluggish and weak, the blow to his head enough to keep him down, at least for the time being. He felt tired, and groggy. He wanted to go home...

"W...where are you taking me?" He managed to bite out, voice hoarse from screaming. When it had become to much, he vaguely remembered one of the men giving him another good kick to the head, effectively knocking the kid out until now. It couldn't have been long, with the mood still shining high when he was ripped out from the vehicle. Keeping up with them did little, as he was practically dragged into the menacing building.

Where was this place? Why had he been taken here? The bare, blinding white halls set a fire of panic in the pit of his stomach, a terrified gasp leaving him as the loud shouts and bellows of agony reached his ears. He body shook, tears building up as fear encompassed his whole being, until it went suddenly quiet. A new area was presented, cleaner and quieter than the last-- why? He looked up as a cell door as pulled open, the men all but throwing the boy inside. Sora gave a grunt as the back of his head hit the ground, stars exploding before his eyes as he struggled to sit up.

The teen watched the men abandon him there, eyes wide before his head hung low, forehead pressing to the ground as he tried to fight back the tears that so desperately wanted to fall. How had this happened? His day had been so normal...A boring, regular day at school, a nice walk home with his best friend-- Oh god, what would Riku say? What would he do, when he realized Sora never called him, never came over. Never showed up the next day--or... or ever?

The other person gave no heed to the sound of footsteps in the hallway, as it was more or less white noise to him now. But he did crack open his eyes a bit when he heard the door across the hall open up, the familiar sound of a body being thrown inside, face lifting from its bowed position to look curiously at the door. He waited till the other men had left, before addressing the groaning coming from the opposing cell.

"You gunna make it, soldier?" He called, moving from his quiet position to stretch, a ring of satisfying pops rippling down his spine. He hadn't realized how long he'd been sitting there. Usually he was taken out for more tests by now. "I see you got the five star welcoming treatment. Actually, how many stars are you seein'?"

The sound of another's voice ripped him from his thoughts, Sora lifting his wet face to gaze across the hall, where the noise came from. A person--another person! He gripped the bars as he sat as close as he could, unable to see the person in the opposing cell save for bits and pieces.

"I... lots..." He finally spoke, as if still dazed. He probably was. "Where are we-- What is this place?" Sora stammered. "Why... why am I here?"

"So many question, how typical," he gave a snort, and rolled his head back a bit before addressing the other. "You, kid, are in a secret CCG laboratory." He stood and stretched his arms, before crossing them over his chest again, cocking a brow at the younger kid he could see trying to squeeze his face through the bars. "Jeez, you're kind of young, aren't ya? Like, what, middle school age? Usually they trick college kids or homeless people into coming here for cash or room and board."

He could already see the tears on the other's face, making the fear in his big blue eyes glisten, "What do you mean 'why am I here'? Didn't you sign up for some obscure CCG retreat or were you some homeless orphan taken from the street after being offered a home?" He couldn't fathom why such a little kid could get sucked up into this hellhole.

"Th-The CCG?" he stammered, heart skipping a painful beat as the realization of his situation finally hit him. His blood ran cold, the hands gripping the bars falling limp at his sides as he gaze fell to the floor. His father had sold him off to be some lab rat? "I..." his hands reached up to rub his face, smearing his tears away. "My father sold me to them," he whispered, turning his large eyes back to his new acquaintance. "We-- I knew we were tight on money, I just--" He swallowed the sob threatening to break through, his voice cracking. "I never thought he'd... sell me..."

The older boy's gaze narrowed, arms falling to his sides. Pristine green eyes studied the young boy's face, heart somewhat breaking for the scared child. But if he kept that face on for long, the kid would be dead meat in no time flat.

"Sounds like a shitty father to me. Forget about him." He said flatly, walking over to his bed and sitting down on it. At least they were given decent beds that were cleaned every other week. "If he sold you for some under the table cash, then you're not the worthless one, he is. So forget your old man and dry your tears. People who waste such valuable fluids don't survive in here long."

He wasn't always that way, he told himself. There was a time Sora had once been close to his father, would even call him Daddy and would ride on his shoulders while they played at the beach. Back when his mother was still around... When she died, they all died with her. A piece of them, anyways. Perhaps his father  had simply lost a bigger piece of himself when she did.

Still, the redhead's words did little to calm him, skittish eyes glancing up and down the silent halls. "What... happens here?" He whispered some, gazing back at him. "You said-- you said we're in a lab? Do they c-conduct experiments here? What kinds of experiments?"

"More questions, alright. Well, how do I put this," he started, a finger coming to rest on his jaw as he thought for a moment. "You do know about ghouls, don't you? They are humanity's one and only natural predator, after all. And the CCG are the only humans who can kill them." He stood back up slowly walking to the door as he spoke, "Ghouls can also kill ghouls, however, as normal ghouls may have an accelerated regeneration ability, another ghoul can kill them before they have the time to heal." "I'm sure you heard about the eye-patch ghoul that came from the twentieth ward and used to be a member of Aogiri. They still have a class about the CCG in school, right?"

Of course he knew. It was hard not to, living in a world they both shared. However, Sora had always thought the twentieth ward was safer than the others. The Binge Eater and Gourmet were a problem one point but then...over time, Sora had begun to hear less and less of them. He had hoped they were dead, or something. To think...The CCG was conducting these experiments, on humans no less. Sora focused his gaze on the other, hanging onto every word he spoke.

"The eye-patch..." He grimaced, nodding his head. "Y-Yeah. I'm still a freshman, I'm not-- I wasn't eligible for that yet." He remembered Riku complaining about it before, how boring it was. "I don't understand. Why is this-- They're supposed to protect us, aren't they? Why would they experiment on us? Why would they--" He was cut off by the sounds of echoing footsteps, fear rattling his bones as he looked back at the opposing door. What did they do? What could they expect?

He'd been about to continue but the sound of a door opening echoed at the end of the hall, followed by footsteps, and he felt a leap of fear even in his own throat. But now there was a kid across from him. He'd have to play it cool or the kid would freak out even more and get punished.

"Get back from the door and go sit on your bed," he hissed, stepping away from the door himself. He took his own advice and sat on the bed, pretending as if he hadn't just been conversing with the other boy. When the footsteps reached his door, they stopped, and he wondered for a moment if the shadows through the bars would open his door, or the kid's.

If there was one thing Sora knew best, it was following rules. He had always been a good kid, ever since he was little. He followed all of his parents rules, hell, he'd even get into bed half an hour before bedtime. So when the redhead turned to him, eyes wide with fear and told him to go sit on the bed, he all but scurried back, pressing back against the wall obediently. His arms circled knobby knees as he waited, and waited.

When the lock on his door clicked, he was both relieved and terrified. The same men as always, huge hulking masses of muscle and white lab coats to overpower any struggling victim. But he never struggled, not anymore. They upped his punishments for that, and he really didn't like pain. They already supplied him with a healthy dose of it during their experiments, so he really didn't need to solicit and more wrath from the scientists here.

One of the two who entered his tiny room grabbed his arms while the other handcuffed him before shoving him out the door. He only prayed he was almost done with their damn tests so they would leave him alone and use him for whatever purpose they were doing all this for. He cast the kid across the hall one last glance and a small smile, even as a bead of sweat hung on his temple, before he was taken out of the hall and into hell.

When he saw his door left untouched, Sora's shoulders slumped in relief, before he flinched at the sounds of echoing boots and clinking metal. His new companion was all but dragged out, casting a small smile in Sora's direction. His heart sank at the fear still etched in his eyes, tears gathering in his own as he gave a slight wave, swallowing thickly. With every fiber in his being, Sora could only pray that maybe he'd come back okay. That they wouldn't hurt his new friend too bad. In these dingy cells, and dark hallways...Sora had a feeling his company would be a great distraction from whatever it was they'd do to him. The mere thought made his spine shake.

Wait, wait, wait.

It was all Sora could do. He couldn't go anywhere, and barely had the will to move. He felt paralyzed, glued to his seat. At some point he must've fallen asleep, considering he woke up on the floor. With a quiet groan, the teen pushed himself back onto his feet, staggering some from the head rush. Firmly planted on his feet, Sora began to snoop about the small cell. He found nothing interesting or worth his time, and cursed all those investigative movies and shows he'd watched growing up. They couldn't do anything to help him now.

Shoulders sagging, he pressed his palms to the bars keeping him trapped, trying to catch a glimpse of someone--anyone. He hated this silence, it was unnerving and suffocating. At the sounds of echoing footsteps, he once again took the red-head's advice and scrambled onto his bed, pressing back against the wall in an attempt to make himself look smaller--or hide. Whichever worked.

When the ginger returned, he was being dragged down the hall by his arms, too weak and bruised to stand. His clothes were dirty but still all in one piece, though he did have a nasty cut on his cheek that had been left to bleed. His eyes were closed and he groaned every now and then as he tried to keep consciousness. He'd done particularly well today, having only gotten the single scratch on him. The two hulking men practically threw him into his cell and slammed the door, locking it before stomping off back down the hall.

He lay there for a minute as he waited for his head to stop spinning, feeling blood trickle down his face. Though the wound was already healing, it still hurt. When he tried to open his eyes, the blinding light reflecting off of the shiny white walls glared against his corneas, and he closed them again. He couldn't fathom why they kept testing him so harshly. He'd already given them all the results they needed, so why were they keeping him alive? It was the one question he hadn't been able to figure out in this hellish place.

Sora flinched as his companion was tossed into his own cell, much like a rag-doll. Once the men had receded down the hall and away from their cells, he quickly climbed down and resumed his position by the bars.

"H-hey--Are you okay?" He called out, voice just above a whisper. He was afraid to speak any louder, nervous that someone could hear them. It wasn't like Sora would know, anyways. But he was worried for the other, he always did. Seeing another person in pain only made his own heart ache. It made him want to help. But what could he do but play this waiting game? There was no other option--no other choice. The decision had been made for him, by his own father.

"Well, I'm in one piece this time," He muttered back, managing to push himself to his hands and knees once his breath had returned to him. His vision was still dancing but he didn't think he was in danger of passing out now. His wound was already healing, skin slowly molding back together and blood evaporating, leaving his skin flawless once more.

"Now, where was I before we were so rudely interrupted?" He half-mused, pushing himself to his feet and dusting himself off a bit.

"Um, something about.. the eye-patch ghoul?" Sora offered hesitantly.

"Right, ghouls can only be killed by other ghouls and the CCG. And something about the ghoul the CCG calls 'eye-patch'." He filtered a hand through his hair a bit to fix it, not that he ever particularly cared about his appearance in this place. It's not like anyone would whine if his hair wasn't combed. "Well, a little over a decade ago, there was a freak accident involving two 'students', but in reality, one was a human -the male - and one was a ghoul -the female."

The teen seemed to relax at his words, even if only a little. He wasn't sure what the red-haired man meant by that, but he prayed to God that he wouldn't find out. Watching him get up, Sora tilted his head to gaze up at him, pressing closer to the bars.

The ginger walked over to the door, eyes still closed and leaned against the wall beside it, "Now, the girl ended up being killed and the boy was mortally wounded, and emergency measures were taken to save his life, which meant transferring the deceased girl's organs and replaced the boy's destroyed ones with them. Follow so far?"

Sora did his best to keep up, blinking his large eyes as he explained the Ghoul's backstory. He had distanced himself from anything Ghoul related on purpose, the fear of being a victim always creeping in the background. Whatever information he knew, it mostly came from Riku. He was always the type to watch the news, Sora could never understand how he could sit and listen to all that depressing drivel. Thinking on it, what he wouldn't do to watch the news with Riku again. Anything--he'd do anything to sit there, bored out of their minds, just enjoying each other's company.

However, his new friend's story caught his attention. A tiny sound left him as h gripped the bars. "Th-They gave him-- ghoul parts?" He breathed, a hand coming to cover his mouth. "So he's... he's a half-breed?"

"Indeed," the other boy muttered. "And he was one of the most powerful ghouls, because of his mixed genes." He crossed two of his fingers together in view of the boy, opening his left eye to view through the bars. "Now, when a ghoul and a human fall in love and try to have a baby, usually what you get is a corpse. But the Eye-patch ghoul wasn't made by normal means. He was ripped apart and sewn back together and presto! Instant ghoul."

Sora wasn't sure how he could have been stronger, considering he was some poor mix of both. However, he also didn't understand Ghoul anatomy like the other did, he was sure. His cell-mate seemed quite versed in Ghoul news,and for a moment, he couldn't help but wonder how long he had been trapped in this place. How long Sora would be trapped there.

The ginger ran a hand through his hair, momentarily becoming subconscious about how much he was talking. It only took him half a moment to brush the feeling off and keep going, "Now, when the CCG caught wind of this, they at first thought he was an abomination that had to be killed. Some poor tortured soul that would be better off dead." He crossed his arms over his chest, turning his face away from the bars. "But the guy somehow managed to change their minds, and show that ghouls can cooperate with humans to achieve the same goals.

And this is a CCG laboratory. What do you think they'd want with pure-blood, innocnet humans like you?"

"They--" The younger boy's eyes widened in surprise, shoulders slumping. "Th-They want to turn us into Ghouls?" He stammered, sitting back on his ass as realization hit him hard in the face. "Is that...I-is that what they're trying to do to you...to me?"

"Bingo, Kid! You got it." The taller boy turned his hand into a gun and pretended to shoot the boy as the other slumped to the floor. There was a moment of silence before he returned to his original position.

"How could the Government let this happened?" Sora whispered, shock nearly leaving him breathless.

"Well, the eye-patch ghoul went missing a while back. And he'd actually managed to really get the ghouls in all the wards to cooperate with the CCG. That's why life has been so peaceful." The other boy glanced over at the other without turning his head, keeping his left eye to the kid. "But now that he's gone, the ghouls are starting to get fussy. I heard from a little bird that a new ghoul organization like Aogiri Tree is starting to cause some trouble in the teen wards."

He sighed and let his head tip back till it hit the wall, staring at the blank ceiling as if it held the answers to his silent prayers, "You see, they need the power of the eye-patch again. So they're making half-breed ghouls like how he was made and then putting them through rigorous obedience training in order to create a special army to fend off actual ghouls."

"The... power of the eye-patch?" So, half-breeds were superior in power to full-fledged demons and the CCG wanted more half-breeds to create some army to calm fussy Ghouls? Had he been told this anywhere else, in any other situation, Sora wouldn't have believed him.But now, sitting just feet away, Sora realized he had no choice but to believe him.

"You see, kid. They're serious about this," he turned to the kid fully now, both eyes open, his right eye's sclera darker than night and the iris a blazing red moon in its starless sky. The veins around it tense and bright through the skin. "They have every intention of making a half-breed ghoul army for themselves."

Baby blue eyes were wide in disbelief, gazing in absolute shock as they met those dark eyes. Mismatched, like the Eye-patch.

"Y-You're a Ghoul..." Sora breathed, shoulders slacking as he stared and stared. He didn't know what else he could do. 

"Again, right on the money," the ginger replied monotonously, blinking once at the other and giving his ghoul eye a good rub. It was a small action that made it a little easier to revert his eye back to normal. He blinked a few times, hoping the darkness of his sclera had faded back to white, and looked over at the other boy again. 

"Now, let me give you a little bit of advice on surviving here. Just two pieces; super simple." He heard the doors at the end of the hall open once more. He narrowed his eyes but kept talking. "One, always surround yourself with the happy memories you had before getting dragged here. Especially when your in the lab. It helps keep you sane."He leaned a little closer to the bars, trying to peer down the hallways a bit as he heard footsteps. Three sets, two heavier and slower than the other. Probably a scientist with the two hulking escorts for extracting and depositing their lab rats from their tiny cages.

"Two, never cry or scream if you can help it. It only excites them and push you harder." The footsteps were closer now and he took a few steps away from the door on reflex. He'd only just gotten put back in but he wouldn't be surprised if his door opened a second time for more tests.

For as long as he could remember, Sora was taught to avoid Ghouls. They were bad news, humanities number one enemy. An encounter with one would only bring despair and tragedy, like it had to his family. To his mother-- And now, to him. Still, Sora wasn't sure what to feel about the red-head. He was a Ghoul, that glowing eye was proof enough. But he was, and still partially is, human. And for the time he had known Sora, he had been kind, and pretty informative. Many times he had been called gullible or easy to manipulate but... Sora had to trust him. Above all else, he had to trust this Ghoul. Something told him that it was the only thing that could insure his survival.

When he heard the echoing footsteps down the hall, his body went rigid. Sora knew why they were coming, and swallowed thickly. He forced himself to breathe, to count his heartbeat as the Ghoul continued to feed him advice. It kept him going, brought at least some sense of calm as panic tried to spring tears into his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered, voice soft but trembling with fear.

"Keep those in mind and you'll survive. And I'll be here when you get back. You can talk to me." And then the ginger was out of view of the door, leaning against the wall with his head bowed and his thumbs hooked into the waistband of his pants. He heard the footsteps come to a halt right outside his door, the shadows stretching through the bars and across the floor of his cell. But it wasn't his door they opened.

It was the one across the hall.

The silence was heavy then, the men stopping outside his cell. Sora had quickly made his way back to his bed, back against the walls as his knees were brought to his chest. Breathe--Don't forget to breathe. Their large hands pulled his door open, the creak that followed only making the boy flinch. An older man stepped in, a rather sinister smile stretched across his lips. If that was his attempt at a friendly smile...

"Well, Well. It looks like it's your turn, now, isn't it?" The man cooed, before his two bulky assistants marched in to grab at Sora's arms. "Why don't we get better acquainted then?."

The ginger could only sit there and listen as the smaller boy was taunted, and then man-handled by those huge thugs and dragged down the corridor, where he would be subjected to the horrible tests and surgeries that would make him into the monster that these scientists craved. He let his legs fall under him, sliding down against the wall as his hands came to wrap around his knees. A position he would have hated to admit to anyone he found comforting as all he could do was wait.


End file.
